What to watch this weekend: Duke-Virginia highlights strong slate
Football isn't the only thing to watch this weekend. The clash between desperate Duke and unbeaten Virginia highlights a strong slate of college hoops that also includes a first-place showdown in the Valley and another matchup of ACC contenders:
1. Duke at Virginia (Saturday, 7 p.m. EST): Only a couple weeks ago, Duke began ACC play as the favorite to win the regular season crown. Now the Blue Devils probably have to beat the No. 2 team in the nation on its own home floor to even stay in the race. Duke (17-3, 4-3) would fall four games behind Virginia (19-0, 7-0) if it doesn't win in Charlottesville, likely an insurmountable deficit considering the quality of the Cavaliers and the number of other teams that would be standing between the Blue Devils and first place. To beat Virginia, the Blue Devils will have to shoot well from the perimeter against a packline defense designed to wall off the paint, handle the big-to-big double teams likely to be thrown at Jahlil Okafor and defend against dribble penetration deep into the shot clock. This game will be especially challenging for Duke because of the intangibles in addition to the opponent. Whereas Virginia has enjoyed a week off to prepare, the Blue Devils won an emotional road game at St. John's on Sunday, blew a late lead at Notre Dame on Wednesday and then endured the dismissal of key reserve Rasheed Sulaimon on Thursday.
2. Wichita State at Northern Iowa (Saturday, 4 p.m. EST): Unlike last season when there was no Missouri Valley Conference team capable of challenging Wichita State over the course of an 18-game schedule, the league has a second contender this season. Northern Iowa is only a game behind the Shockers in the Valley standings entering the first of two meetings this season and the Panthers have proven themselves outside league play too, having toppled Iowa and Stephen F. Austin and pushed VCU to the brink. Northern Iowa got away from its traditional formula of slow-paced offense and rugged defense last season with detrimental results, but the Panthers have returned to that this season. They'll try to snap Wichita State's 27-game league win streak with an offense fueled by star forward Seth Tuttle and plenty of quality depth and a stifling defense limiting opponents to 38.9 percent shooting. Wichita State has scored the most points per possession and surrendered the fewest in league play, but the Shockers are dealing with an injury concern. Top interior threat Darius Carter has been trying to fight through back pain.
3. North Carolina at Louisville (Saturday, 4 p.m. EST): The last time these two ACC powers met three weeks ago, North Carolina rallied from a 13-point second-half deficit to win 72-71 on a Marcus Paige game-winning basket in the final seconds. Louisville (17-3, 5-2) will be out for revenge Saturday when the Tar Heels (17-4, 7-1) visit the KFC! Yum Center. Outside shooting isn't a strength for either the Cards or the Tar Heels, but they've found other ways to score throughout league play. For Louisville, Chris Jones and Terry Rozier have both elevated their games against ACC opponents, averaging a combined 37.9 points in seven league games. For North Carolina, offensive rebounding, transition points and interior scoring from Kennedy Meeks and Brice Johnson have helped ease the pressure on Paige. In its most recent victory, North Carolina benefited from out-of-nowhere 4 of 5 3-point shooting from guard Nate Britt. If that proves to be more than a one-game fluke, that would be a huge boost for the Tar Heels.
Other notable games to watch:
Auburn at Tennessee (Saturday, 12 p.m. EST): Bruce Pearl's return to Knoxville would have been a big story no matter what, but it's more momentous because of the NCAA trouble that has engulfed current Vols coach Donnie Tyndall. Tennessee will have to decide this offseason if it's concerned enough about what happened under Tyndall's watch at Southern Miss to make yet another coaching change.
Arkansas at Florida (Saturday, 1 p.m.): An Arkansas team team that has won three straight games by five or fewer points meets a hard-luck Florida team that has lost six games by six or fewer points. At 11-9 overall and 4-3 in the SEC, the Gators have little margin for error if they hope to get back into NCAA tournament contention.
Wisconsin at Iowa (Saturday, 12 p.m. EST): This is the rematch of last week's Wisconsin rout that was also notable for Adam Woodbury's controversial eye poking habits. Iowa will be at home this time but the Hawkeyes may be without forward Aaron White, who has not practiced due to a shoulder injury sustained at Purdue.
Kansas State at Kansas (Saturday, 2 p.m. EST): To overcome a disappointing non-league season that included losses to Long Beach State and Texas-Southern, Kansas State is going to need to finish in the upper echelon of the Big 12. An upset win at first-place Kansas would go a long way, but it won't be easy, especially since the Wildcats are likely to be without Nino Williams.
Texas at Baylor (Saturday, 6 p.m. EST): Forget about Texas dethroning Kansas in the Big 12. At this point the Longhorns don't even seem certain to finish in the upper half of the league. Struggling Texas needs a road win at Baylor to get back to .500 in league play and avoid its fifth loss in seven games.
Memphis at Gonzaga (Saturday, 10 p.m. EST): Even though Memphis isn't what it has been in previous seasons, this is still a huge game for both teams. It's a chance for the Tigers (13-7, 6-3) to earn a marquee win that might vault them back into NCAA tournament contention, and a chance for third-ranked Gonzaga to flex its muscles out of conference and defeat an opponent that has given it fits in recent years.
Michigan at Michigan State (Sunday 1 p.m. EST): How's this for a Super Bowl appetizer? A rivalry game between two teams likely to spend February fighting for their NCAA tournament lives. Michigan State is probably on steadier ground, but the Wolverines have played strong defense lately, winning two of three and taking Wisconsin to overtime since Caris LeVert's season-ending injury.
- - - - - - -
Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at daggerblog@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
